This DO217 Fin is mine !
 

I managed to obtain a commitment from the owner that he gives it to me : it will exhibited at the new Toulouse air museum (to be open next year).

There is no serial number painted on it, just the numbers painted on the airframe that are on the second picture.

There was a plate but it was removed;

However, a real nice artifact.

GC

Re: This DO217 Fin is mine !
 

NICE and RARE!!

Mike

Re: This DO217 Fin is mine !
 

Great Gilles !!!!

Best regards

Rüdiger

Re: This DO217 Fin is mine !
 

thanks, it should a real ice exhibit,

but what does "Feststellvorichtung" mean ?

Danke

Gilles

Re: This DO217 Fin is mine !
 

read "nice exhibit", of course..

Gilles

Re: This DO217 Fin is mine !
 

An online translation brings up 'locking device' so I guess it might mark the location where the control surface locks have to be placed when stationary/parked up? Complete guess though. :)

Re: This DO217 Fin is mine !
 

Bravo Gilles!

Marc

Re: This DO217 Fin is mine !
 

UPDATE

The aircraft have been formally identified
(Same DO217 than those quoted in my previous posts:
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=33215
and
http://forum.12oclockhigh.net/showthread.php?t=16709 )

they were from 9/KG100

DO 217 K2
6N + IT Wnr 4555
AND
DO 217 K3
6N + HR Wnr 4749

and the crews were:


Wnr 4555
Flugzeugführer Ofw Faust, Kurt, + (buried in Berneuil)
Kampfbeobachter Fhj-Ofw Adermann, Erich, +
Bordfunker Ogfr Schmidt, Julius, + (buried in Berneuil)
Bordwart Gefr Kraft, Josef, +

Wnr 4749
Flugzeugführer Fw Stoll, Rudolf, vermißt
Kampfbeobachter Lt Sühnel, Rudolf, vermißt
Bordfunker Uffz Welte, Erwin, vermißt
Bordwart Ogfr Wettermann, Johann, vermißt

the actual date of crash was 15 June 1944: this has been found thanks to a local police report, thus confirming the identification of these two aircraft.

I would like to find relatives of families and for that, I look for the Namentliche Verlustmeldung n° 26 & 27 (or 28) that concern III KG./100 between 11 and 16 june 1944:

by chance, any body has these NVM ?

Of course, I shall keep you posted of the findings..

Thanks a lot

GC

Re: This DO217 Fin is mine !
 

Hi everyone,

As an aside, aircraft 6N+IT could be of historical significance. As a Do 217 K2 it was configured only to carry the Fritz-X, not the Hs 293. This aircraft's participation in this raid on Cherbourg would be the only probable indication that Fritz-X missions were flown over Normandy, or for that matter, on any mission after the Plymouth raid of 30 April 1944. (The K3 was configured for either the Fritz-X or Hs 293.)

Marty

Re: This DO217 Fin is mine !
 

agreed Marty,

unfortunately, the one we will get the remains back from the cavehole is probably Wnr 4749.

Best rgds

GC

Re: This DO217 Fin is mine !
 

I've got one more. ADI(K) report No. 312/1944 (Interrogation of Ltn. Erich Keller of Stab III./KG 100, shot down 22.38 hrs on 4 July 1944) says:

"The six or seven aircraft carrying F-X bombs took off from Toulouse/Blagnac … at 19.30 hours … The 6N+DT flew out over the Channel … the bomb was eventually released, aimed at what P/W describes as a large destroyer."

6N+DT was shot down off the mouth of the Orne. Ulf Balke lists it as a K-3, W.Nr. 4718.

Re: This DO217 Fin is mine !
 

thanks for this report, Nick, very interesting,

is the date of this DO217 mission from Toulouse mentioned in the ADI(K) report ?

GC

Re: This DO217 Fin is mine !
 

Check my post again: "shot down 22.38 hrs on 4 July 1944"!

Re: This DO217 Fin is mine !
 

Hi,
WNr. 4718 is for the M-1. When it was converted to the K-3 it became 40718. That is what I have. The coversion took place in September 1943.

Regards,
Norbert

Re: This DO217 Fin is mine !
 

Gilles and his team feature in a BBC News item: Recovering a WWII bomber hidden in a French cave

Re: This DO217 Fin is mine !
 

Thanks Nick for your post,

I intended to report so but time flies, I was not able to do it earlier!

Operation was indeed a challenge, in all respects (logistic, administrative, juridic, historic etc.. ): it was a success thanks to the team, who was very professional.

To complete this story, here are a couple of pictures of the parts found : I love the fuel management instructions plate..

Best regards

Gilles